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Equitembestia
Photo on 2019-12-15 at 6.40 PM.jpg|Equitem Bestia|linktext=A prime example of a spurlite Photo on 2020-01-12 at 4.20 PM #3.jpg|Face view of a spurlite|linktext=Note the range in colour they have Equitembestia, their common name is spurlite,spurlites evolved from the genus Ambulospeculida they are an extremely diverse genus found all throughout Wallace II but prefer warmer climates which is where they have the most species. The role in the ecosystem this genus serves is an important one in the lives of other land organisms as they hunt parasites, eat dead skin and very occasionally even do dental service to their host. Description Different species of spurlites range in size from being as large as a human leg (86cm | 34 in) to the size of a thumb (6.9 cm | 2.74 in) but are most commonly found to be a bit larger than the average size of a rat. They have all four limbs that their ancestors had but they are arranged in half with two pairs on one side and two pairs on the other and each one is tipped with a grippy claw. Spurlites are covered in armour arranged like the exoskeleton of an arthropod the only part not covered is an area between the two halves of it's leg groups, this area has tough skin which tends to be the same colour as the rest of the spurlite's body but in a darker shade, on this bare spot two large spiracle adorn each side which the closing structures meant to conserve moisture are commonly darker than the skin around it and have a very tough texture meant to keep it protected. The spiracle are connected to a single dial chambered lung they commonly breath in through the upper pare of spiracle and out through the lower but if need be they can chose which place to breath in and out with. Spurlites are normally dull coloured throughout the body with their front half of the main body being the exception, the colour depends on the species but at the head is where the colour is most bright and vibrant. as it goes closer down along the body, the colour goes darker and eventually turns to grey or brown depending on the species.The spurlite's head is adorned with two huge eyes which have millions of photoreceptors for excellent higher resolution vision. Below the front of the eyes is where two feathery structures are attached to the head,these are smelling organs which can be moved in a rapid fanning motion to pick up scents, they also can be pressed on the head to protect them from damage, these tend to be more vibrant in colour than the head.The front of the head is where the jaws lie they are beak like in structure and have three parts to them each having pointy teeth. below that and a bit tricky to see is where its external vocal cord is which is used to communicate. At the back end of the spurlite is a curved tail it lies in a similar way to a shrimp tail. The male's tail is thinner than the females which the female’s is much broader. At the tip of the tail there is a yellow reproductive organ the female's being a paddle like structure and the male's having two claspers in which to grip it with. Habitat and range Spurlites are unique in the sense that they don't have a habitat in the traditional way because spurlites are found primarily riding on the backs of other larger organisms.Because of this their range is wherever there are other large or moderately sized organisms so difirent species of spurlites are found all throughout Wallace II ,though there are a few instances of island colonists who grew independent of a host. Spurlites tend to be larger in warmer climates because they can sustain greater sizes in that area. Smaller spurlites tend to live in the colder reagins hiding the insulating layers of their hosts for protection from the cold ,still filling the same role as one would in warmer areas. Behaviour Spurlites don't discriminate on hosts and will hop aboard on carnivores or herbivores alike. Spurlites are swift and jittery in nature and will often bolt around to where they need to go.This is useful for when hunting the parasites that adorn their host and also to dodge the dangers that their host can cause. For example if the spurlite's host were to lay down on it's side and that side just so happens to be where the spurlite is sitting, a spurlite will have to move to the other side of their host in a matter of seconds or else it would get crushed. However spurlites''' '''can become sluggish and more conservative of energy if there is no food to be found. Spurlites are very vocal and will communicate with their kind through chirping, though to make sure they do not blow their host's cover they do so quietly. Spurlites are social and commonly communicate with other spurlites on what's happening.The hunting strategy of most spurlites is to quickly scuttle and grab their prey with their mouthparts and if they need to they will also utilize their front limbs, they will then tear it into bite sized chunks, if the prey is really big than a spurlite will call for backup and they will take it down as a team. Their mating behaviour is the females prefer males with the brightest colouration in the face, the males commonly show it off to the females mostly doing it to the females with the brightest colouration. Some species also add in a sweet serenade to complete the look. But if need be both sides will mate with the other so long as they are healthy enough to do so. They mate by the male curling his tail around the the female's tail and the male's claspers will then hold on to the females paddle shaped structure and they stay like this for 20 minutes. If the female choses to use the sperm then eggs will develop in 2 weeks when that time comes she lays the eggs directly on the underside of her tail where there can be as many as 500 eggs ,She will keep them safe curled in her tail for 8 weeks until they hatch. The hatchlings stay in the safety of mother's tail until the little spurlings are big enough to fend for themselves. most spurlite species are sexually mature when they reach one earth year of age. Populations of these creatures are always isolated in small groups so inbreeding is an imminent danger, they have a few handy adaptations to protect against it. The first adaptation they have is that spurlites can recognize family members so they avoid mating with them. Another adaptation they have is that they will take any opportunity to hop ship on a different host so they can breed with new spurlites. Spurlites tend to be sexually mature at a younger age but can live up to 20 years or more this is so that a spurlite can wait for one of it's unrelated neighbour's young to mature so they can mate with them, being on a relatively small mobile home means any opportunity to help increase the gene pool counts. The last adaptation and arguably the most interesting is that females can store sperm from prevues matings with males for later use or remarkably if she wants to she can share the sperm with other females, Having an adaptation like this would indicate the severity of the evolutionary pressures against inbreeding that were forced upon the spurlites. Making sure their host is alive is of a spurlite's greatest interest so spurlites make sure their host stays healthy and safe even going as far as to warn their host of danger. Spurlites excrete waste out of a hole under where the tail connects to the body, they aim it outwards to make sure it doesn't go on their host. Species This genus may have roughly 2000 different species with many different shapes and sizes,colours and behaviour. There is even a spurlite that resides in one of the tropical islands of Wallace II who in which the males do displays much like bird of paradise, where the male's smelling organs have been half converted into colourful display structures, not only that they also make elaborate calls to the female making a stunning display. Amongst the spurlites there are 4 main known strategies that spurlites have specialized in hunting. There are the snatchers which have much longer mouthparts sometimes to a goofy degree which is used to snatch flying parasites in mid air ,hunting the ones that take a mosquito like approach to life. The crunchers which specialize in much tougher prey going after armoured parasites who undergo a tick like strategy, these spurlites have tough mouthparts that look similar to a parrot beak only it has 3 parts and teeth, the crunchers have the highest bite force of the spurlites. The most common ones are the generalists (the ones pictured are examples of them) which try to go after all sorts of parasites no matter their strategy. The last and least common are the grabbers which use their front limbs to grab prey items and then bring it to their mouth to feed similar to a praying mantis but less refined as they are the most resent strategy to evolve amongst the spurlites. Sound of a spurlite Shown below is the warning call of the spurlite. This is a warning to it's host that a predator or other hazard has been spotted, to tell it's host where the danger is coming from the spurlite will run to the direction of the danger then vibrate as it is calling so the host can tell where it is coming from. file:///Users/Gavin/Documents/Call%20of%20my%20wallace%20ll%20organism%20(updated).wav (copy past the link) (This is the first sound effect i've ever made so it will be a little rusty sounding) Category:Dispeculata Category:Ambulospeculida